10,000 Birds

MARCH 22, 2012

These adaptations for avoiding predators has allowed most species of owls to flourish in their own habitat albeit, with reclusive habits. Finding an owl excites the unexcitable and even the most seasoned birders. I can speak for myself and say that finding any owl makes me stop in my tracks.

Owls 209

Owls Colorado Breeding Sparrows 209

10,000 Birds

MAY 10, 2024

There are 154 species of cuckoos in the world, and they’re all a fascinating bunch. It’s not a species you are likely to overlook, either, as it is extremely noisy, its cackling call carrying great distances. I wonder whether birds that breed in Europe ever meet up with those nest in southern Africa?

Cyprus 223

Cyprus Africa Europe Asia 223

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 24, 2022

Above them, on limestone cliffs, Alpine Swift and Crag Martin breed. The commonest owls are Eurasian Scops Owl and Tawny Owl , while rare ones include Ural Owl and Eurasian Eagle Owl. About 120 species have been recorded so far. About 180 species have been recorded so far.

Serbia 262

Serbia Woodpeckers Owls Eagles 262

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 24, 2014

There are birds more prized by North American birders than the Great Gray Owl , but not many*. Like many cold-weather creatures, the Great Gray Owl can to some extent trade altitude for latitude. We made our way to the spot that the owl had, according to our guides, last been seen. The owl wasn’t there.

Owls 231

Owls Minnesota Montana 2014 231

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 2, 2020

Just yesterday I learned that the Barn Owl ( Tyto alba ) is the only breeding bird found in New York that has been documented nesting in every month of the year. This bit of trivia was given in an article in my local bird club’s monthly newsletter about the ongoing breeding bird atlas in New York State.

Barn Owls 241

Barn Owls 2017 Rodents Owls 241

10,000 Birds

MARCH 25, 2021

The adventure of the second European Breeding Bird Atlas, or EBBA2, was the topic of one of my first posts here at 10,000 Birds: In a warm Catalonian March, Barcelona is filled with sunlight and full of Rose-ringed and Monk Parakeets. A portable speaker is placed on the top of the car, playing Tawny Owl calls from a smartphone.

Europe 264

Europe Denmark Breeding Russia 264

10,000 Birds

MARCH 14, 2012

Will and I had spoken on Sunday and agreed to go owling on Tuesday night. We had both failed at checking off Eastern Screech-Owl or Great Horned Owl on our New York lists so far in 2007 so we figured we’d take a shot at tracking down either silent nocturnal killer. Not exactly good owling weather but we pressed on anyway.

Owls 166

Owls 2007 New York Fox 166

10,000 Birds

JULY 12, 2024

My target at the start of the year was 200 species in the UK and 300 in Europe, so I’ve achieved the latter, while the chances of reaching the former are pretty good. That trip was fun, as it reminded me of the delights of watching birds like Golden Plover and even Meadow Pipit on their breeding grounds.

Cyprus 214

Cyprus Greece Spain Europe 214

10,000 Birds

JUNE 3, 2024

Apparently, the species name rutila means “red, golden red, reddish yellow”, which sounds a bit like a contradiction in itself. It is well known that chicks of this morph immediately start having an identity crisis when combining the knowledge of their species name with the information gathered from a look in the mirror.

Killing 177

Killing Birds Breeding Breeders 177

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 6, 2013

We’re particularly interested in recognizing bird species that were of significant conservation interest in 2013, but that also had a compelling story and rallied the public around it.” If this bird doesn’t deserve this conservation award, I don’t know what species does. Click on photos for full sized images.

California 214

California Owls 2013 Factory 214

10,000 Birds

MARCH 9, 2012

There is an International Festival of Owls. They give out a “Champion of Owls” award. Holt founded the Owl Research Institute , an organization that focuses on long-term studies of a variety of species of owls, as well as their prey species and environments. Saw-whet Owl photo by Todd Zino a.

Montana 159

Montana Owls Denver Barn Owls 159

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 10, 2016

Few things can spell out “winter birding” as poetically as the sighting of a rare northern owl that has more or less unexpectedly found its way to southern, more balmy environs. A “winter owl” however has little meaning to German birders for two simple reasons (and male smew aren’t one of them).

Germany 103

Germany Owls 2013 2006 103

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 7, 2023

Seychelles’ small landmass combined with geographic isolation results in few species. That antiquity produces a high level of endemism, e.g. 19% of 62 breeding birds are endemic to the islands! For example, the main islands are the world’s only granitic ocean islands and at 750M years of age are also the world’s oldest ocean islands.

Seychelles 239

Seychelles Wildlife Tortoises Reptiles 239

10,000 Birds

JULY 12, 2023

One step away from swifts are hummingbirds, and at least 13 species of these winged jewels flutter about from sunrise to sunset. White-necked Jacobin A sizeable vervain/verbena attracts several species to the main entrance, including Blue-chinned Sapphire , Ruby-topaz Hummingbird , and Tufted Coquette. Interesting.

Trinidad 234

Trinidad Barn Owls Owls Reptiles 234

10,000 Birds

MARCH 23, 2016

As I opined in my post back in 2010 (and continue to preach) the Western Burrowing Owl needs a conservation plan. A pair of Burrowing Owls fledged six young! After five years of waiting and watching, we were so elated with this news of a successful breeding at the preserve that we applied for another grant from Audubon California.

Owls 101

Owls California Colorado 2010 101

10,000 Birds

MAY 24, 2024

In my younger days I was very keen on what is generally known as Big Day Birding, or trying to see as many species of birds as possible in one day. Called The Big Bird Race , it tells the story of how my team, representing Country Life magazine , recorded 155 species in 24 hours in East Anglia (Suffolk and Norfolk).

Kenya 133

Kenya Birds Barn Owls Owls 133

10,000 Birds

MARCH 3, 2012

This post comes courtesy of Mrs Gannet who became rather taken with the Little Owl when we found him in Mote Park last month. There has been a Little Owl living in this hollow branch for at least 3 years as documented in Simon’s Mote Park Blog and it is assumed to be the same individual though I am not sure whether it is a she or a he.

Owls 179

Owls New Zealand Europe Mammals 179

10,000 Birds

APRIL 5, 2024

Nor have I chased particular birds, either: almost all the birds I have seen have been encountered during a normal day’s birding, not a targeted twitch for a particular species. A lone Whooper Swan on a grey January day in Norfolk As for the ducks – I’m now up to 15 species.

Spain 130

Spain Eagles North America Ducks 130

10,000 Birds

MARCH 5, 2024

These lands support countless birds, either year-round, as migratory stopovers, or as breeding grounds. BLM land is particularly important for conservation of the Greater Sage-Grouse and other sageland species. For example, most of the world’s Black-footed and Laysan Albatross and Ashy Storm-Petrel breed on these islands.

Virgin Islands 216

Virgin Islands Alaska United States Nevada 216

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 6, 2022

While these birds are very much liked by Chinese birders, the species could unfortunately not be named the National Bird of China as the Latin species name of the bird is Grus Japonicus. It is not quite clear why they do this as it apparently does not affect breeding success. A nice example of gender equality of sorts.

Eggs 208

Eggs Bald Eagle Birds Owls 208

10,000 Birds

JULY 13, 2023

Some 320 species have been recorded here, and in springtime it is possible to observe more than 150 bird species in a week. To round up the day, in our base-village of Chrisochorafa, we later had one adorable Little Owl just a few hundred metres from our hotel. The lake lies at a mere 35 m / 115 ft a.s.l.

Greece 234

Greece Pelicans Stray Dog Tortoises 234

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 11, 2021

An uncommon species in Costa Rica, it was in a brushy area that reminded me of its breeding grounds. Only two of us got a glimpse but that was enough to add it to our long list of species for the day. 171 Species. Speaking of bird lists, our’s topped out at a crazy 171 species. Agami Heron.

Costa Rica 228

Costa Rica Wildlife Tennessee Owls 228

10,000 Birds

MAY 12, 2022

Snowy Plovers also breed half an hour north of my home, so we have those in common. With 85 species in 6 hours, I’d like to think it was well repaid. He seems to be my Northern (Mountain) Pygmy-Owl whisperer. But how can you complain about an owl that wants to check you out in broad daylight? Feast your eyes.

San Diego 254

San Diego Turtles Mexico Sparrows 254

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 29, 2023

My British total was a mere 172 species – not bad, but not very good. Every one of my 171 species was a bird that I found myself. It keeps a monthly record of sightings, so I can tell you that it was in February that I recorded my highest monthly species total (106), while my lowest total was in August (39).

Estonia 230

Estonia Portugal Greece Barn Owls 230

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 15, 2022

Since most of the rain happened the evening of the 8th and the following morning, many sites had good weather on the morning of October Global Big Day and because of that, local birders still managed to identify well over 700 species in Costa Rica (!). and ended later that eveing with a final total of 154 species.

Costa Rica 271

Costa Rica San Jose Falcons Owls 271

10,000 Birds

MAY 21, 2020

When choosing the top birding area of Serbia for a weekend visit, head for lowlands, Deliblato Sands and Labudovo Okno complex with 250 bird species. If you have 5-7 days, combine these two zones, adding wetlands around the village of Baranda (220 species). Long-eared Owls of Kikinda. Serbia – the big picture. Birding overview.

Serbia 317

Serbia Sanctuary Bosnia Birds 317

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 9, 2023

There was one odd reprint in 2018, when the Subalpine Warbler was split into the Eastern and Western species, but the changes in the guide weren’t sufficient to call it a 3rd edition, so it remained the updated reprint of the 2nd edition. I haven’t noticed changes in the few descriptions of harder to ID species that I compared.

Europe 257

Europe Birds Woodpeckers Ireland 257

10,000 Birds

JULY 2, 2020

There are more than 1100 plant species, the most valuable being the 76 endemics. Also, there are 58 mammal species represented in the park, which is home to the largest Brown Bear (50+ animals; bear watching can be arranged through the NP authorities, find the link below) and Chamois populations in Serbia.

Bears 264

Bears Serbia Birds Mammals 264

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 24, 2023

Last year, in November, I notched up a dozen species of butterflies, an impressive total anywhere in Europe so late in the year. A feature of the autumn is the abundance of Great White Egrets – up to 200 on the lake – but as far as I know they have yet to breed here. Despite appearances, they are remarkably docile.

Greece 216

Greece Pelicans Buffalo Geese 216

10,000 Birds

JUNE 9, 2021

You can’t say the same about migration: you can’t say that every book about birds is necessarily about migration, for the simple reason that only about 4,000 bird species migrate (with some 1,800 of those traveling long distances). (Well, purely physical attributes play a part, too: they’re pretty good looking.).

Alaska 213

Alaska Kenya Georgia Russia 213

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 16, 2018

Serbia has 317 eBirded species so far, or 89% of the 356 in the national checklist. The country has one eBird hotspot with 200+ and 48 with more than 100 bird species. The country has one eBird hotspot with 200+ and 48 with more than 100 bird species. Spring migration March to April , 270 eBirded species.

Serbia 158

Serbia Macedonia Geese Owls 158

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 5, 2022

I had only seen this species once here, in 2018. Virginia Warbler: The Virginia Warbler is a common species in the thorn forest of the Balsas River Basin, so I had seen it often. This is the only migratory warbler to live entirely within Mexico, breeding in the northeast and wintering in the southwest. How did I miss that?

Mexico 226

Mexico Virginia Barn Owls Birds 226

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 18, 2021

Other species expected in December include Velvet Scoter , the last flocks of Common Cranes , perhaps a Red-breasted Merganser , Long-tailed Duck or a Smew (if the winter gets cold), as well as the still missing Red-throated Diver. Although many of them can be found in city parks, too, at the top of Avala your chances are higher.

Serbia 301

Serbia Woodpeckers Ducks Birds 301

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 3, 2020

Penguins are cartoons, emoticons, animated films, children’s books (though owls really take first place here), sports teams, a book publisher, and a Batman villain (a rare example of penguin negativity, though Burgess Meredith did bring an endearing attitude to his 1960’s TV portrayal). © Otto Plantema, used with permission.

Penguins 278

Penguins Georgia Albatross New Zealand 278

10,000 Birds

APRIL 9, 2020

When to visit: best during winter and migration season, but also breeding season. eBird list of the recorded species. When to visit: best in breeding and migration seasons (April to June and late August-September). eBird list of the recorded species. The turn-off is about 1 km / 0.6 Dupljaja area. Vracev Gaj area.

Mali 264

Mali Serbia Eagles Turtles 264

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 11, 2022

Many years have passed by now and I have visited the Forgotten Road 2 to 3 times in most years, enough to find most of the birds Bratislav mentioned, but a few of the mostly nocturnal, such as an Ural Owl or a Corncrake (I always visited in the morning). Other species include Grey Wagtail and Marsh Tit. Somrda Peak (810 m a.s.l.)

Serbia 248

Serbia Woodpeckers Birds Romania 248

10,000 Birds

MARCH 14, 2019

a British expat birder who was living in Belgrade, for a suggestion: “The top species is undoubtedly White-tailed Eagle. commented further: “With a little work some species can be seen quite easily such as the divers, scaup, scoter, Goosander , Garganey and Long-eared Owl. Hence, I asked my friend B.C.,

Serbia 249

Serbia Woodpeckers Albania Eagles 249